More than 25,000 students make News Day special

In a year which featured the largest ever line-up of schools taking part, 2010's News Day didn't disappoint with the inventiveness, range and sheer number of stories covered and projects completed.

More than 700 schools and 25,000 pupils took part in events across the country and link-ups took place with young people in various places around the world, including students from Haiti, Africa and Afghanistan.

One of the largest events which took place was a record-breaking temperature measurement - involving School Reporters from as far afield as the Shetland Islands and Jersey - even a school on St Helena in the South Atlantic!

BBC weather forecasters Michael Fish and Carol Kirkwood were on hand to monitor the young meteorologists efforts.

Slang report

With a general election looming, various schools became involved in interviews with leading politicians.

David Cameron, Harriet Harman and Nick Clegg - as well as members of the Northern Ireland and Welsh Assemblies - faced probing questions from panels of junior Paxmans.

Much of the School Reporters' work featured in the BBC's national output.

Wootton Bassett School's report on the impact of living in a community linked to the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts - and mourning - featured in the BBC's breakfast reports.

The BBC's Baghdad correspondent Gabriel Gatehouse was interviewed by School Reporters at Television Centre about the life of schoolchildren in Iraq. The report will be featured on the World Tonight on BBC TV.

Eight schools across the UK helped compile an article on "youth slang" which featured on the BBC News website's education section - and might serve as a guide to would-be teachers from now on!

International link-ups made some powerful TV and radio: Pupils at Winterbourne Academy in Bristol had a radio link to a school in the Afghan capital Kabul.

We talk about partnerships and being out there among our audience and in my view this is as good as it gets.

Mark Byford, BBC Deputy Director General

The UK School Reporters were amazed at the hazards the Afghani pupils underwent just to get an education.

In a similar vein, London pupils got the opportunity to talk to children from the Haitian capital Port-Au-Prince.

School Reporters wanted to know how their Haitian counterparts had coped with the earthquake, while a number of Port-Au-Prince students were curious to know if the UK ever suffered similar disasters.

A number of schools tracked down and interviewed celebrities are part of their report.

Commentating masterclass

Former Wales footballer John Hartson returned to his old school, Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr in Swansea, to talk about his international career and battle with cancer.

School Reporters from Catford High School in south London secured an interview with UK soul diva Alesha Dixon.

And students from the Grange School in Cheshire filmed an encounter with not one, but three Hollyoaks stars: Anthony Quinlan, Nico Mirallegro and Jamie Lomas.

The actors were asked how they coped with the fame, the Chester-based soap has brought them.

Former teacher Huw Edwards was on hand to show students news production

The face of the BBC's Six o'Clock News Huw Edwards, linked up with pupils as they experienced the realities of a television studio.

And the inimitable Jonathan Pearce gave a soccer commentating masterclass to a group of eager School Reporters.

With hundreds of online, video and radio reports completed both teachers, students - and broadcast professionals - were fulsome in their praise of School Report News Day.

The BBC's Deputy Director General Mark Byford said: "We talk about partnerships and being out there among our audience and in my view this is as good as it gets.

"Take a look at the special website and you too will feel huge pride and satisfaction and you'll also chuckle at times and take a pause at some very poignant moments."

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